Have you ever felt like when you pray, that you're just talking to the floor or the ceiling? Or have you ever wondered how God can even hear you, when He is nowhere in sight?
[5] And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
[6] But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
[7] But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
[8] Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
- Matthew 6:5-8
Whoa! We do not need to yell or talk a lot, to be heard by God? Indeed, He can hear us just fine, from inside our closets (even with the door shut, I would imagine). But what's more, He clearly knows what we need,
even before we ask!
So how does
that work? The Apostle Paul explains: "
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered" (Romans 8:26). It is through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, that God can hear our prayers. This is a
supernatural phenomenon! Praise God for His love and grace, that He thought it not beneath Him to provide a way for His creation to reach Him! Prayer is not just idle chatter, but a
supernatural act, powered by the Holy Spirit, to communicate with our all-powerful creator. Even President Obama, with his unprecedented online presence, is not
nearly as accessible as our God. And even if I
could get through to Obama, he would have no clue who I am, and so is unlikely to do anything more than give me some standard, rehearsed response and send me on my merry way.
But not God. He not only knows my name and my need, but He can tell me how many hairs are on my head, without even looking.
That is the kind of God we serve!
To be continued...
My friend Wes posted a quote about prayer today, by Dr. Peter Kreeft. According to his website, he "is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and at the King's College (Empire State Building), in New York City. He is a regular contributor to several Christian publications, is in wide demand as a speaker at conferences, and is the author of over 55 books, including: Handbook of Christian Apologetics, Christianity for Modern Pagans, and Fundamentals of the Faith." Sounds like he's Catholic, but we won't hold that against him. ;)
